PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK: Lucien back in Foxboro

Friday

Wide receiver Devin Lucien has been a traveling man since parting company with the Pats in 2016.

FOXBORO -- And to think, if it weren’t for a poorly executed pattern, this wide receiver might not be in New England today.

“It’s a really funny story,” Devin Lucien said following the Patriots’ second training camp practice of the summer, Friday morning’s session on the fields behind Gillette Stadium. “I was actually on my way to the LAX (Los Angeles International) Airport going to Green Bay for a workout, you know what I’m saying, and I got a call from my agent saying that New England wants to work you out if Green Bay doesn’t sign you. I get to the airport and Green Bay sent me the wrong itinerary for my flight.

“So I called my agent back, I’m trying to talk to him about my flight, (telling him), ‘They messed up my flight,’ trying to make sure I get to the workout. He’s like, `I’m on the phone with Nick (Caserio, the Patriots’ director of player personnel). I can’t talk to you right now.’ So he hangs up with me. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to get to Green Bay. And then my agent calls me back and says, ‘New England just wants to sign you.’ So I got on the plane that same day when I was supposed to go to Green Bay and ended up flying to New England. It was a really crazy day.”

Originally a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in the 2016 NFL Draft, it’s been a rather bizarre two years for Lucien, whose production in one season as a graduate student at Arizona State (66 receptions for 1,074 yards and eight touchdowns) exceeded his totals over three years at UCLA (58 catches for 752 yards and four TDs).

Downright impressive at times in summers in Foxboro, Lucien was released as part of the year’s final roster cuts in 2016 and spent the season on the Patriots’ practice squad, earning a Super Bowl LI championship ring in the process. Waived with an injury designation in 2017, Lucien was subsequently released by the team. Since then, he’s bounced around from Indianapolis to Kansas City to Houston to Tampa Bay, spending time on each of those teams’ practice squads last season, most recently being waived by the Buccaneers on May 13 of this year.

Last Monday, Lucien literally became one of the last players to book a flight to New England, given clearance because he never got off the ground for Green Bay.

“Oh man, (I have) not even (been living out of) a suitcase, but a duffle bag,” said Lucien. “I went from here to Indy, Indy to Houston, Houston to Kansas City, Kansas City to Tampa. Tampa released me after rookie minicamp and I was back home (in Encino, Calif.). So I’m having a great time (now).”

Getting reacquainted with the Patriots’ playbook hasn’t been a problem.

“Honestly, it was the first thing I learned so with that, I don’t know, it’s like your first love,” said Lucien. “You always remember that first thing, you know what I mean. So it’s kind of the same here. It hasn’t been that tough picking it up. I think the toughest thing is going to be probably getting back into Patriot shape.”

Lucien had been staying in shape at home, but that, in his words, does not equate to being in “Patriot shape.”

“I was back home in California just trying to get in the best shape I can,” he said. “I didn’t know I’d be getting a call from New England. I don’t think you can ever get into really Patriot camp shape just working out on your own.”

Given the way it’s all transpired – he could have been a Packer after all – perhaps this long shot can find a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.

Maybe, it was suggested to Lucien, it was just meant to be.

“With this NFL business I don’t know if you can really believe in that stuff, but the way everything happened it was near like a dream,” said Lucien. “So I’m happy it happened that way.”

No tight fit: The Patriots released tight end Troy Niklas and signed wide receiver Paul Turner.

Turner, 25, caught nine passes for 126 yards in four games, two starts, with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016.

That’s the kicker: Asked during his pre-practice press conference about Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick heaped praise upon the veteran place-kicker who had a tough act to follow when he arrived in New England as Adam Vinatieri’s successor in 2006.

“Steve’s been great to work with,” said Belichick. “I think he showed an incredible amount of maturity and poise his rookie year. He came in to probably as difficult a situation as any rookie player that I’ve brought on to a team with (what) the expectations were with him and obviously what Adam had done before he was here.

“Steve’s been really consistent through all these years, (a) very hard worker, has earned the respect of his teammates. He does everything that the team does in terms of training and conditioning and so forth. He’s not on a special kicker program or anything like that. Very accountable, dependable, a physically and mentally tough player. I’ve been very fortunate to have two of the best kickers that have ever played in the National Football League as the head coach here. So I feel very fortunate to have had Steve and Adam.”

While Vinatieri has the most clutch kicks in Patriots history on his resume, Gostkowski is easily the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 1,613 points.

Cannon leaves: Offensive right tackle Marcus Cannon, who finished last season on the injured reserve list with an ankle injury, left the field for some unknown reason.

Mitchell seen: Wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, in the midst of his never-ending battle with a knee injury, strolled out for the start of practice in uniform, then retreated to the lower field to work with the team’s injured players.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt, safety Nate Ebner, cornerback Cyrus Jones, cornerback Jonathan Jones, wide receiver Matthew Slater, all of whom are on the physically unable to perform list, all worked on the lower field as well.

On the flip side, running back Brandon Bolden, who began camp on the active/non-football illness list, practiced.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.